Pedestal assembly



Sept. 21, 1965 R. w. ZIMMERMAN 3,207,462

PEDESTAL ASSEMBLY Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RAYMONDW. ZIMMEIZMAN PEDESTAL ASS EMBLY Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2FIG. 5.

INVENTOR. RAYMOND W. ZIMMEIZMAN p 1965 R. w. ZIMMERMAN 3,207,462

PEDESTAL ASSEMBLY Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3,IIIQ'IMY/IIIMVI/IIIIA @NIIIIIIIJIMN FIG. 6

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RAYMOND w. ZIMMEIZMAN Sept. 21, 1965 R. w. ZIMMERMAN PEDESTAL ASSEMBLY 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 1, 1962 FIG.15.

INVENTOR RAYMOND W. ZIMMEIZMAN United States Patent 3,207,462 PEDESTALASSEMBLY Raymond W. Zimmerman, 31 21st Ave., San Francisco, Calif. FiledJune 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,451 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-159) This inventionrelates generally to furniture pedestals and more particularly to apedestal assembly employing a plurality of similar pedestal segmentsjoined into a unitary pedestal structure.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved pedestaleasily assembled from a plurality of similar durable and inexpensivepedestal segments and easily disassembled for shipment, storage and thelike.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combination of similarpedestal segments and improved means for joining them into a rigidunitary pedestal structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide improvedmeans for connecting a pedestal mounting plate to the pedestal column.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pedestal having acentral column and the several pedestal arms formed from a plurality ofindividual single piece column and arm segments without visible means ofconnection.

One other object of the present invention is to provide a minimuminventory of interchangeable pedestal components for arrangement intoany one of a variety of pedestal clusters.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of theinvention considered in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a four segment pedestal havingfeatures of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the pedestal of FIG. 1 with assembledmounting plate shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the pedestal of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the pedestal partially insection and taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the means for joining theseveral pedestal segments with portions of the segments broken away forclarity of illustration;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of the anchor clips of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front elevational view of the anchor clips andanchor caps illustrating the segment alignment and the locking notch;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the column of three,five and six segment pedestals, respectively;

FIG. 9 illustrates several cross sectional configurations which may beemployed in the pedestal segments of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a modified pedestal segment design and an anchor capuseful with it;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of a modified anchor cap and anchor clipstructure;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates a modified anchor cap useful with corresponding pintype anchor means; and

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of the structure illus- 'trated inFIG. 13.

The described pedestal assembly 1 includes a plurality of pedestalsegments, referred to generally as 2. These pedestal segments aregenerally L-shaped having an upwardly extending portion 2a forming partof the pedestal column and a horizontal portion 2b forming the arms ofthe pedestal. Each segment is fabricated from relatively rigid material,such as wood, metal, plastic and the like and may be formed in a varietyof cross sections and dimensions varying as a function of the pedestalloading and the particular visual effect desired. The individual columnheight and arm lengths may be varied within wide limits. Several segmentcross sections for both the arm and column portions are illustrated inFIG. 9. Modified pedestal segments, as shown in FIG. 10, havingattachment means 2c extending to the supported structure also are withinthe scope of the present invention.

Each of the arm portions of the several pedestal segments carries a foot3. The illustrated foot in FIG. 4 comprises a threaded foot 4 fittinginto a tapped hole 5 at the extremity of each segment arm portion 2b.Other foot designs also are useful.

Generally, three or more of the described pedestal segments are joinedtogether into a unitary pedestal structure by improved connecting meansemploying a threaded tie rod. The top and bottom ends of the columnportion 2a of each pedestal segment 2 carry anchor means such as ananchor clip 6 appearing most clearly in FIGS. 4, 5. Each clip has anoffset flange 7 opening upwardly on the upper clips and downwardly onthe lower clips. Threaded fasteners 8 secure the anchor clips to thepedestal segments. The anchor means also may be welded, brazed, glued orotherwise secured to the pedestal column portion 2a, or they may beformed as an integral part of the pedestal segment itself.

The pedestal segments forming the assembled pedestal are joined byconnecting means including a tie rod 9 having threaded ends. The top endof the tie rod carries a stop flange 10 at the inner end of its threadedportion. The stop flange 10 may be threaded onto the tie rod or formedas an integral part of the rod. A top anchor cap 11 having anchorreceiving means comprising upset marginal edges and having a pierced andthreaded center hole threads onto the tie rod to abut stop flange 10.The upset edges of the top anchor cap 11 are formed into a plurality ofseparated tabs 12, one for each pedestal segment to be joined. Thesetabs fit between the flange of one of the anchor clips 6 carried on thepedestal segment and the segment itself, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-7.There are as many tabs on each anchor cap as there are pedestal segmentsto be joined into the particular pedestal assembly.

The tie rod and its top anchor cap first are assembled and the upsettabs of the cap then inserted into the flanges of the anchor clips ofthe several pedestal segments to be joined. A similar bottom anchor cap13 having a pierced center hole and similar upset tabs 12 fits looselyupon the tie rod 9 and engages each of the lower anchor clips 6 of theseveral pedestal segments.

A nut 14 threaded on the lower end of the tie rod 9 secures the bottomanchor cap and the several pedestal segments into an integral pedestalassembly. By tightening nut 14 the bottom anchor cap and the top anchorcap are drawn together; the caps firmly seat in the mating anchor clips;and their appurtenant pedestal segments thus are clamped firmly togetherand restrained from movement in any direction.

A mounting plate or swivel 15 fits loosely on the upper end of the tierod and is secured in place by a second nut 16. The plate itself alsocan be threaded. The plate bears against the top ends of the severalpedestal segments and provides means for fastening the pedestal towhatever it is to support.

It will be observed in FIG. 6 that the offset flange 7 of each of theanchor clips 6 lies at a slight angle with respect to the pedestalcolumn to which it is secured to facilitate insertion of the anchor captabs 12, as well as to draw and clamp the pedestal columns against thetabs 12 as the anchor caps are drawn together. The base of the flange isspaced from the pedestal column a distance approximately equal to thethickness of the inserted tabs 12. The upset tabs 12 of each of theanchor caps have a segment alignment and locking notch 17 cut into theouter edge of the tab. These notches 17 have converging sides 18limiting the bottom of the notch to substantially the same width as thatof the several anchor clips. The notches 17 fix the anchor clip spacingaround the cap periphery to properly align the pedestal segments.

With the pedestal segment design of FIG. 10, the top anchor cap 111:carries a drilled and tapped boss 24 for receiving the threaded end oftie rod 9. The drilled hole does not extend through the cap. Themodified cap in all other respects is identical to that of FIGS. 4-7.

FIGS. 11-14 illustrate modified anchor cap and anchor clip combinations.The anchor cap 19 of FIGS. 11-12 comprises a formed disk having anchorreceiving means comprising divergent slots 20 which seat upon the offsetflanges 7 of anchor clips 6. These slots are canted at approximately thesame angle as flanges 7 and are spaced around the periphery of theanchor caps to perform the same functions as tabs 12 described inconnection with FIGS. 4-7. In this modified combination the flanges 7have beveledextremities 21 to assist seating in slots 20 of similarshape.

The anchor caps also may be designed as illustrated in FIGS. 13-14 foruse with pin-type anchor means rather than formed anchor clips. Theupset tabs 12 of the described cap. carry an offset flange 22 cantedslightly outwardly from the center of the cap in the same manner as dothe flanges 7 carried on the anchor clips described in connection withFIGS. 4-7. These flanges 22 each have a generally V-shaped notch 23 atthe center of the outer margin to receive anchor means on the pedestalsegments such as a pin or screw 8. The flanges 22 seat upon the anchormeans or screws 8 in a manner similar to the described seating on anchorclips 6. 7

Thus, by rigidly joining any number of pedestal segments a variety ofuseful as well as visually attractive pedestal designs can be fabricatedfrom a combination of the standard parts described. The describedpedestals are easily assembled and disassembled permitting easy storageand shipment. FIG. 8 illustrates the wide variety of pedestal clusterarrangements which may be formed simply by employing top and bottomanchor caps each having three or five or six or more upset tabs tointerlock the anchor clips of the particular number of pedestal segmentsemployed.

The foregoing embodiments of the present invention have been givenforillustrative purposes only and no unnecessary limitations should beunderstood therefrom for various and other modifications will beapparent to those familiar with this art. The invention is defined inthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pedestal assembly comprising a plurality of pedestal segments eachhaving a column portion; a pair of anchor clips mounted on the columnportion of each segment, one clip carried at the top and one at thebottom of said coltunn portion and each clip having an offset flangediverging slightly from said column portion to define a seat betweensaidflange and said column portion which opens away from the other clip ofsaid pair; a first anchor cap insertable into the several seat definedby the anchor clips at the top of said segments; a second anchor capinsertable into the several seats defined by the anchor clips at thebottom of said segments; each of said anchor caps including a polygonalweb having peripheral faces at least equal in number to said pluralityof segments, a separate tab contiguous with each face of said web upsetto one side of the plane of said web, and an alignment and locking notchformed on theouter margin of each tab having sides convergent toward thebottom of said notch, the thickness of each tab being slightly greaterthan the minimum offset spacing between said flange and said segment andthe bottom of each notch being approximately as wide as said flange; andmeans interconnecting said anchor caps for drawing said caps together toinsert each tab of said anchor caps into a corresponding one of saidseats defined by said anchor clips thereby drawing the column portionsof said pedestal segments against and centering them on the peripheralfaces of said anchor caps.

2. A pedestal assembly comprising a plurality of pedestal segments eachhaving a column portion; a pair of anchor clips mounted on the columnportion of each segment, one clip carried at the top and one at thebottom of said column portion and each clip having an offset flangediverging slightly from said column portion to define a seat betweensaid flange and said column portion which opens away from the other clipof said pair; a first anchor cap insertable into the several seatsdefined by the anchor clips at the top of said segments; a second anchorcap insertable into the several seats defined by the anchor clips at thebottom of said segments; each of said anchor caps including a polygonalweb having peripheral faces at leastequal in number to said plurality ofpedestal segments, alignment and locking notches formed in one surfaceof said web near each face and having sides convergent toward the bottomof said notch, the marginal portions of said web between each notch andthe nearest face being slightly greater than the minimum olfset spacingbetween said flange and said column portion and the bottom of each notchbeing approximately as wide as said flange; and means interconnectingsaid anchor caps for drawing said caps toward each other to insert eachmarginal portion of said anchor cap webs in a corresponding one of theseats defined by said anchor clips thereby drawing the column portionsof said pedestal segments against and centering them on the peripheralfaces of said anchor caps. 4

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 469,358 2/92Nesson 108154 1,153,946 9/15 Ohnstrand 248188 X 1,694,617 12/28 Brown248l88.7 2,055,761 9/36 Gerschefski 248 2,853,261 9/58 Loeb 2481882,916,241 12/59 Bischof 248188 FOREIGN PATENTS 815,865 7/59 GreatBritain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

1. A PEDESTAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PEDESTAL SEGMENTS EACHHAVING A COLUMN PORTION; A PAIR OF ANCHOR CLIPS MOUNTED ON THE COLUMNPORTION OF EACH SEGMENT, ONE CLIP CARRIED AT THE TOP AND ONE AT THEBOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN PORTION AND EACH CLIP HAVING AN OFFSET FLANGEDIVERGING SLIGHTLY FROM SAID COLUMN PORTION TO DEFINE A SEAT BETWEENSAID FLANGE AND SAID COLUMN PORTION WHICH OPENS AWAY FROM THE OTHER CLIPOF SAID PAIR; A FIRST ANCHOR CAP INSERTABLE INTO THE SEVERAL SEATSDEFINED BY THE ANCHOR CLIPS AT THE TOP OF SAID SEGMENTS; A SECOND ANCHORCAP INSERTABLE INTO THE SEVERAL SEATS DEFINED BY THE ANCHOR CLIPS AT THEBOTTOM OF SAID SEGMENTS; EACH OF SAID ANCHOR CAPS INCLUDING A POLYGONALWEB HAVING PERIPHERAL FACES AT LEAST EQUAL IN MUMBER TO SAID PLURALITYOF SEGMENTS, A SEPARATE TAB CONTIGUOUS WITH EACH FACE OF SAID WEB UPSETTO ONE SIDE OF THE PLANE OF SAID WEB, AND AN ALIGNMENT AND LOCKING NOTCHFORMED ON THE OUTER MARGIN OF EACH TAB HAVING SIDES CONVERGENT TOWARDTHE BOTTOM OF SAID NOTCH, THE THICKNESS OF EACH TAB BEING SLIGHTLYGREATER THAN THE MINIMUM OFFSET SPACING BETWEEN SAID FLANGE AND SAIDSEGMENT AND THE BOTTOM OF EACH NOTCH BEING APPROXIMATELY AS WIDE AS SAIDFLANGE; AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID ANCHOR CAPS FOR DRAWING SAID CAPSTOGETHER TO INSERT EACH TAB OF SAID ANCHOR CAPS INTO A CORRESPONDING ONEOF SAID SEATS DEFINED BY SAID ANCHOR CLIPS THEREBY DRAWING ONE COLUMNPORTIONS OF SAID PEDESTRAL SEGMENTS AGAINST AND CENTERING THEM ON THEPERIPHERAL FACES OF SAID ANCHOR CAPS.